City police have arrested a surgical resident on charges of killing his newlywed wife, a dermatologist, months after she was found dead. The arrest, which was made on Tuesday, came after the confirmation from a Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL) report that the viscera of the dead woman tested positive for toxic levels of anaesthesia.
The suspect, Dr. Mahendra Reddy GS (31), who was a resident surgeon at the Institute of Gastroenterology Sciences and Organ Transplant (IGOT), was taken into custody on Victoria Hospital campus. He is accused of murdering his wife, Dr. Kritika M Reddy (28), whom he had wed in March 2024.
Anaesthetic Overdose Confirmed
City Police Commissioner Seemant Kumar Singh made the confirmation, saying that the FSL report found Propofol, an intravenous anaesthetic, in the victim’s samples.
“Immediately after Kritika Reddy’s death, we had booked a case of unnatural death. Now, her father, following the FSL report, has lodged a new complaint against his son-in-law for giving an overdose of anesthesia and murdering the victim,” Commissioner Singh said.
Doctor-Husband Resisted Autopsy
Police inquiries confirmed that Dr. Mahendra Reddy transferred Kritika to Cauvery Hospital at Marathahalli on April 24, alleging that she had fainted at their home in Munnekolal. She was pronounced “brought dead.”
Autopsy Mandate: The suspect and his father-in-law, K Muni Reddy, allegedly quarreled at length with doctors and police to avoid the mandatory autopsy.
Police Pressure: Additional Commissioner of Police (East Division) Ramesh Banoth attested that in spite of the protests, the autopsy was performed owing to the death memo given by the hospital.
Cover Story at First: The accused stated he was treating his wife for chronic gastrointestinal (GI) problems and that the chemicals given were for treatment.Â
Motivation: Medical Problems and Supposed Dowry
Investigators uncovered possible motives directed towards a strain in the marriage shortly after the wedding:
Hiding Sickness: Police sources reported Dr. Mahendra was said to have been infuriated after learning that Kritika suffered from various ailments such as low blood pressure and GI issues, which he asserts her family kept hidden before the wedding.
Financial Demands: K Muni Reddy, Kritika’s father, narrated in his complaint that Dr. Mahendra often demanded money and insisted on constructing a private hospital for Kritika, which he denied.
Suspected Affair: Muni Reddy further accused Mahendra of becoming close to another woman while neglecting his daughter.
The FSL report received on Tuesday promptly upgraded the case from an unnatural death to a murder investigation, prompting tracing and detention of Dr. Mahendra Reddy in Manipal, Udupi, where he was attending a conference.
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